Highlights of the May 2012 Issue

With the opening of its Warrior Fitness Center on April 10, 2012,
Nellis AFB, Nev., moves to the front of the pack in premier Air
Force fitness and sports complexes. The $25-million, state-of-the-art facility
took a year and a half to complete and is designed to meet the needs
of service members and their families for years to come.

“It is a phenomenal facility — it really is something else,” says Fitness Center Director Doug Kingery, GS-11, DAF,
who took a minute away from the grand opening festivities
to talk about the incredible facility.

The fitness and sports complex is located adjacent
to existing sports and recreation fields, a park area and
parking lot, rounding out a “destination area” for service
members and their families. At 110,000 square feet, the
new fitness center is approximately 65,000 square feet
larger than the old facility.

“The purpose of the project was to replace an inefficient,
antiquated and undersized fitness center,” explains
Kingery. “The objective was to provide a state-of-the-art
training facility that will evoke a sense of pride, define
our commitment to health and fitness, and enhance our
Airmen's quality of life.” ...

The new Camp Horno Area 53 fitness center at MCB Camp
Pendleton, Calif., is a marvel of both form and function,
combining cutting-edge fitness equipment, programs and
services with sustainable design. The roof-mounted photovoltaic and
solar heating systems provide “net zero” annual energy consumption,
and the project was certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) Platinum — the highest level achievable.

NAVFAC Southwest contracted $5.7 million to SOLTEK Pacific
Construction of San Diego to build the indoor fitness center. Total cost
of the project was approximately $12 million, which included outdoor
parking lots, fitness equipment and other equipment and amenities. Marine Corps Community Services (MCCS) leadership who were instrumental
in the completion of the project are MCCS Director Scott
Macfarlane, Wellness Department Head Patti Onthank and Fitness Facilities
Supervisors Clint Miller and Kerri Latimore.

“The Horno fitness center is a model for the future of Marine Corps
construction with both sustainability employed during construction
and long-term energy efficiency,” says Jennifer Kerschbaum, NAVFAC
Southwest construction manager for the project. “The current energy
savings due to the photovoltaic system is approximately $37,000 per
year, and this savings will compound through the years as energy costs
inevitably rise. The facility is supporting the physical fitness of the Marines,
but also protecting national security by taking a step toward reducing our country's dependence on fossil fuels.” ...

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) opened
its fifth Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center (PRC)
at the South Texas Veterans Health Care System
(STVHCS) in San Antonio in October 2011. The
state-of-the-art, $66 million inpatient and outpatient
rehabilitation center treats veterans and active-duty
service members with multiple traumatic injuries. San
Antonio joins existing PRCs in Richmond, Va., Tampa,
Fla., Palo Alto, Calif., and Minneapolis, Minn.

“Today, casualties survive catastrophic injuries that
would have been lethal just a few years ago,” says Secretary
of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki, who gave
the keynote address during the dedication event in San
Antonio. “More of our wounded are surviving, and more
of them are permanently disabled by devastating injuries.
They had the will to survive. We owe them the rest of
the journey home.”

The cutting-edge PRC works closely with DoD to treat
service members and veterans with physical, cognitive, psychological
or psychosocial impairments and functional disabilities.
Examples of polytrauma care include traumatic brain injury
(TBI), amputations, burns, fractures, hearing loss and visual
impairment. ...